Usually people travel with smartphone aims to check locations or search the route. However, there is an app completes your travel experience more than those functions.

Two Taiwanese developers came up the idea about an app remembering everywhere users have been in their whole life journey and tuning the experience into a game. That is, an app documentaries the route where you have been. My college classmate from Taiwan visited me last Friday. When she arrived in Seattle, she could not wait to open the app “Fog of World” excitedly. The concept of this app is about imagining a world covered in fog which is not completely and totally explored yet. The app keeps on track while users exploring new place. As they go to new places, the map gets clearer. It sounds like the GPS on your mobile device but more than current navigation. In fact, there are a number of apps that show you where you went on a given day or trip.

“Fog of World” changes the user experience. The unique point is turns the documentation into a game. It uses the similar idea from games like covering an opponent ’s alignment until users get in range and applies it to the real world. The entire globe is covered in fog, and users slowly uncover it as they traveling with their smartphone. The interface is neat to see users’ path etched into the fog, and the app takes it a step further with achievements and percentage trackers as you keep uncovering fog. Users can also import the tracking as files through iTunes and Dropbox, sync and backup exploration data through Dropbox account.

Some users consider it would be more attractive if this app has more functions. They expect it integrates with Foursquare and has geotag access from photos or being able to leave message and interacts with other travelers. On the other hand, some users think more function make this app more complicities and lose the original features. No matter what, the app definitely makes traveling experience much fun and motivated.

Right now the app is mainly promoted by social media. There are 50% official website visitors from Twitter. Usually if developers are not well-known, it would be hard for them to get advertisements or cooperation in the beginning. For “Fog of World” developers, they do not worry too much about that. They believe that a fun app is able to create conversation and makes users want to share is already a successful begin.

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About

Hi and welcome to Melinda Yang's blog. Currently I work at Samsung Research America as Interaction Designer. I graduated from University of Washington, have a master degree in Communication in Digital Media, specialized in User Experience Design.

I enjoy putting dips of my thoughts, interests, things that I have experienced in design, mobile media and online video production field.